CIANJ Commerce Magazine September 2020 Live | Page 44

■ Annual Best Practices Guide
Continued From Page 40
HEALTHCARE
Hackensack Meridian
Health
By Robert C. Garrett,
FACHE, CEO
Hackensack Meridian Health
treated more than 10,000
COVID‐19 patients, more
than any other health network in New Jersey
and we honor our healthcare heroes on the
front lines who worked under difficult circumstances.
We created many best practices
from a clinical, safety and patient experience
perspective. For example, we quickly learned
to prone patients—place them on their stomachs
to expand lung capacity. We are also
conducting more than a dozen clinical trials
to produce life-saving therapies, including
convalescent plasma therapy in which we have
infused approximately 1,000 patients. Additionally,
we will soon enroll patients in clinical
trials for a COVID vaccine. To enhance safety,
we conduct temperature scans at the entrance
of every hospital and provide non-COVID
and COVID areas in hospitals. And we have
drastically expanded telehealth to provide
high-quality convenient care for patients from
their homes, yet another best practice that
emerged from this unprecedented pandemic.
Holy Name Medical Center
By Michael Maron,
President and CEO
Our mission to provide personalized,
compassionate
care never suffered, despite
the challenges we faced from
COVID‐19. An enormous effort among our
clinical and non-clinical teams to protect patients
and employees—providing PPE, devising
new ways to construct additional ICUs,
cleaning rigorously and using advanced treatments—resulted
in a remarkable safety record,
with less than 10 percent of staff testing positive
for the virus. Tragically, we lost four members
of our Holy Name family, who contracted
the virus outside the medical center. Our best
practice is listening to our employees’ innovative
ideas and then taking action that validates
their expertise. Their insights allowed
us to retrofit our facility so that non-COVID
patients remain isolated from COVID-positive
patients. Adhering to public health guidelines
enabled us to welcome back patients for
non-emergency procedures and—by taking a
transparent approach—we strengthened our
position as a trusted resource and partner.
Horizon Blue Cross
Blue Shield of NJ
By Gary St. Hilaire,
President and CEO
One of the many challenges
presented by COVID‐19 has
been access to necessary healthcare—with
the lockdown came unexpected
barriers to seeking necessary care. To solve for
this issue, we immediately expanded access via
telemedicine. While we have been promoting
telemedicine for some time, its use had been
previously limited. The pandemic created an
opportunity for us to accelerate adoption and
immediately improve access to affordable,
quality and extremely convenient healthcare.
In short, Horizon BCBSNJ spurred quick adoption
of this innovation through waiver of copays
and cost sharing; expansion to use in most
services, including mental health; assistance
to providers with technology support; and
enhanced collaboration with our established
telemedicine partners and early adopters. As
a result, telemedicine claims have increased
roughly 23 times during this time. While the
pandemic has posed many challenges—some
of which are yet to come—we will continue to
address them with innovative solutions.
HEALTHCARE
Jefferson Health
New Jersey
By Brian Sweeney, RN, MBA,
President and COO
The COVID‐19 pandemic
mandated that healthcare organizations
make healthcare
easily accessible for our community members,
while ensuring their sense of safety. Prior to
the pandemic, telehealth visits at Jefferson
accounted for only about 3 percent of our
patient encounters; at the peak of New Jersey’s
surge in April, some 85 percent of our
patient visits were conducted virtually. Firmly
entrenched in the consumer mix, about
50 percent of our patient visits are still being
conducted through telehealth visits, easily enabling
patients to connect with their care provider
from the convenience of their home or
office. Jefferson also offers on-demand virtual
visits for urgent needs, as well as telehealth
behavioral health counseling. Our JeffConnect
telemedicine platform makes scheduling
these appointments easy and convenient.
While not all visits can be conducted virtually,
many can, and this user-friendly, ultra-safe
method of care has proven to be a true winwin
for patients and providers.
42 COMMERCE www. commercemagnj.com
MYOS RENS
Technology, Inc.
By Joe Mannello,
CEO
MYOS, a nutritional company
addressing muscle health
in humans and canines, automated
their supply chain to streamline processes
and allow the business to continue with
their team working remotely. Bi-weekly calls
were initiated and I used these calls to bring
levity, optimism and structure—understanding
each individual was dealing with the pandemic
through their own lens. MYOS set an
early plan of continuing to serve existing and
potential customers through education and
training, offering webinars and a CE course
for veterinarians. Expanding on education on
both the human and animal side, MYOS has
seen major benefits and growth as a resource
for the vet and anti-aging medical communities.
The company also focused on product
development and clinical research to help fill
the void in products backed by science around
muscle health in the 55+ population and will
be launching a new product line to benefit
that age group.
ProCure Proton
Therapy Center
By Tom Wang,
President, Managing
Director at BDO USA, LLP
As an essential cancer care facility,
our mission is to improve
the lives of our patients during some of the
most demanding and difficult times, including
the unprecedented times that we are living
in. Our center remains open and accessible
to cancer patients in need of treatment; and
through the expansion of our new telemedicine
service, we continue to assist our existing
and potential patients from the comfort and
safety of their home. Our experienced team
of leaders is committed to ensuring a safe, diverse
and inclusive environment for everyone
and we are dedicated to restoring the health
of our patients with the highest levels of personalized
care. Additionally, we are strong advocates
for timely cancer treatment and will
make all necessary and appropriate accommodations
to ensure our patients’ treatment
isn’t delayed. Nothing is more important to
us than the health, care and well-being of our
patients, staff and community.
Continued On Page 44